Shmoozies: Handcrafted Ice Creams

Shmoozie’s is a hand-crafted ice cream brand based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Tucked away in the canopy covered, sunlight filtered streets of Anna Nagar East, this romantic little haunt sells fruit flavoured popsicles and sweet sorbets to waffle cones and scoops of rich, chocolatey, nutty, floral flavours. Buttered walnut candy, banoffee pie cream, peach cobbler, callebaut brownie, butterscotch almond brittle and apple cinnamon streusel are just some of the assortments they offer. They also have a palette inspired by Indian roots; chai spice cream, sitaphal and mango scoops and sugarcane sorbet cater to evoking nostalgia and childhood memories among regional dessert lovers. 

Kshama Adka, the founder of Shmoozies, who now lives in Melbourne, Australia elaborated on the role of reminiscence while ideating creative flavors— “My flavour ideation comes from memories: some personal, some shared and some from the community I grew up in. Everyone has a core, favorite ice cream, and asking people for theirs is an ice breaker question I like to pose, which contributes to our authenticity.” Desserts at Shmoozies are crafted with the hope that each bite sparks a sweet remembrance. 

Summers in Chennai are hot, humid and sweaty to say the least, as a consequence of which its residents seek solace in ice cream. Kshama chose Chennai to set up shop and experiment with its culinary landscape because she grew up there in the 90’s, which she believes to be a golden era for Madras. “I studied in Goa and worked in Hyderabad, but always had a sense that home meant Chennai. No other place can evoke so many vibrant memories, which serve as a foundation for our label.”

When asked about the inception of Shmoozies and how it came to be, Kshama credits her grandmother for instilling a love for homemade food in her, at a young age. “My grandmother loves experimenting with food at home. Growing up, we rarely resorted to any store bought, processed food. She would religiously spend her days making pickles, jams, and savory snacks.  I felt that commercial ice cream was unhealthy, and had too many processed ingredients that made its consumption quite detrimental to health. And so, I began experimenting with ice cream, by preparing all flavours at home, with only locally available ingredients.” Kshama also grew up in a family of ice cream lovers, for whom dessert after meals was always a chance to indulge in ice creams. 

Handcrafted ice creams offer fresh and healthy alternatives to mass produced frozen desserts that are often outdated and harmful. “We tie up with local fruit and vegetable markets, and source ingredients freshly as and when our stock depletes. This does turn out to be expensive but we prioritize our needs such that we can acquire the best fruits during their peak season. We also ensure that fruit flavors are only made during their respective seasons, and avoid using them if seasonal varieties aren’t available. Our ice creams are also purely dairy and pasture product based, all of which contributes to freshness.”